Red Design
Red Design is by KachiUkaia Prologue: A Night to Remember Snowrift lay in the nursery with her two newborn kits. The father, Falconheart, was nearby, fretting like every tom whose mate just kitted. Snowrift absentmindedly licked the tops of the kits' heads as they suckled. Falconheart paced back and forth inside the nursery. He was saying something about "...so beautiful, and I...," but Snowrift wasn't really listening. She waited until Falconheart stopped to take a breath and lay her tail on his back. The queen, with her different colored eyes, looked up into her mate's green ones. "Should we name them?" she asked warmly. Falconheart nodded and sat down by the edge of the nest. One of the kits was pure white, and the other was a pale gray tabby. Both were little she-cats. Snowrift stroked the white kit's fur with the tip of her tail and said, "I think this one looks like a Flightkit." Falconheart nodded and turned his gaze on the other kit. "Finchkit," he suggested. Snowrift purred and brought them in closer to her. "Welcome to the world, Finchkit and Flightkit," she sighed. The tom stood up and quietly left the den, careful not to disturb the other queens. Snowrift lay down her head and fell asleep curled around her kits. Neither of them noticed the one red fur at the tip of each of the kit's ears. --- Havenkit, son of Darkspire and Greyfire, mewed as Flightkit battered his ears with her paws. He was four moons older, but Flightkit was still determined to win against him. He pushed her off and turned to start walking away. She jumped on his back and he crumpled to the ground. "You've killed me," he gasped dramatically. Flightkit squealed with delight and jumped off of his back. She padded up to face him and lay down. "I like playing with you," she squeaked. Havenkit reached out with one paw and stroked her ear. He paused as he noticed the one red fur at the end of her left ear. That's wierd, ''he thought. ''Neither of her parents are red-furred. ''He shook off the thought and just concentrated on playing with Flightkit. --- Maplestar, leader of RedClan, sat above the series of tunnels and caves that made up the RedClan camp. Living at the base of the red mountains was never easy for her Clan, and she wanted to make sure that they were always safe. Maplestar and Darkspire alternated sitting guard each night. They knew they had to be strong for their Clan, but they always dutifully watched out for any threat, no matter how tired they were. Maplestar pricked her ears at a sudden rustle. She relaxed when she realized it was only the cool mountain wind ruffling the undergrowth. She scolded herself for being so jumpy. After the recent attacks from the huge mountain-cats, every cat was overly sensitive to every movement and sound. ''No matter, ''Maplestar thought, and fluffed out her fur against the wind. She let it slide over her ears and back. She closed her eyes and purred blissfully. Another rustle made her jump. She opened her eyes to see a shadow sliding over the ground. "Who's there?" she growled into the darkness. The bushes rustled again. Maplestar sighed with relief as a StarClan warrior stepped out. She immediately recognized Riverpaw, a RedClan apprentice that had died in one of the past moon's battles against the mountain-cats. "I'm so sorry," she murmured to the young tom. "I should have done more to protect you..." The apprentice bowed his head. "There was nothing more you could have done," he soothed. "You did everything you could." He looked up, his gaze intelligent and stern. "I did not come here to discuss my death," he said seriously. "There is something you need to know." "What is it?" Maplestar asked, a chill running up her spine that wasn't just the wind. Riverpaw stepped closer. "I have a prophecy," he whispered into her ear. "One that you, and only you, must know about until just before your death." Maplestar felt a feeling of dread creep into her. ''My Clan could be in danger! Riverpaw seemed to sense her fears and shook his head. "This prophecy is intended to save you from danger. But it is serious and important all the same." "I'm ready," Maplestar breathed. She felt the young tom's breath on her ear again. In a very low voice, he said, "When the darkness ceases to hide under the trees, dawn will come and the Red Design will save you all." Maplestar's eyes widened. "Darkness? The Red Design? Riverpaw, what-" She turned back to the tom, but the apprentice had left. Chapter One: Finchkit Finchkit watched her older sister, Flightkit, as she tussled with Havenkit. She was sad that Flightkit played more with Havenkit than her. Just then, Flightkit caught her eye. "Hey, Finchkit!" she squeaked. "Come play with us!" She lobbed the ball of moss toward Finchkit's head. It hit her square in the face and bounced off onto the ground. Flightkit came bounding over with Havenkit on her paws. "I'm so sorry!" Flightkit squealed in alarm. "Are you okay?" Finchkit lay down and rubbed her nose with her paw where a small thorn from the moss was embedded in her nose. "It hurts." The RedClan medicine cat, Lichentuft, poked her head out of the medicine tunnel nearby. "Everything all right?" "Finchkit hurt her nose," Flightkit wailed. Whose fault is that? ''Finchkit thought, but she didn't say it out loud. She followed obediently as Lichentuft asked her to come into the medicine cave, casting one last look at Flightkit over her shoulder just before she disappeared into the tunnel. Her littermate had already returned to playing with the older kit. Finchkit sat down and sighed as Lichentuft sniffed at her nose. Caught up in her own thoughts, she squealed in alarm as something pricked her nose. She looked up at Lichentuft in time to see the medicine cat spitting out a small thorn. "Give it a good lick," Lichentuft told her. Finchkit awkwardly reached up with her tongue to lick her nose, which she realized was bleeding a little bit. She licked until she couldn't taste the salty blood anymore and stood up. Finchkit looked around the medicine cave, all thoughts of Flightkit and Havenkit forgotten. "Do you really heal every cat?" she squeaked in amazement. Lichentuft looked up from where she had started straightening her herb piles. "I certainly try," she told the kit. Finchkit looked shyly at her paws. "Could I help you sometime?" Lichentuft purred. "Sure." She waved Finchkit over to her side with her tail. "Right now I'm sorting through these," she explained. "You can start with the tansy over there. Pull out anything that looks dead or rotting. Just ask me if you have any questions on whether an herb is good or not." Finchkit glanced quickly at the medicine cat as she returned to her work before turning her own attention to the pile of tansy at her paws. ''I like this, ''she thought. ''I want to help my Clan like this! ''---'' Finchkit gasped. She hit her head on the side of the nest of brambles and moss and winced with pain. She blinked herself to her senses and rolled back into a comfortable position, careful not to wake Snowrift or Flightkit. The kit sighed as she began to recall the confusing dream she had just woken up from. She remembered fire, all around her, and a red sky as the fiery sun sank on the far horizon. She shook her head to clear her confusion and stood up. Finchkit trotted up the nursery tunnel and over to Lichentuft's. She leaned her head down into the tunnel and whispered, "Lichentuft!" She heard murmuring and shifting, and then the medicine cat's head emerged from the tunnel, eyes gleaming brightly in the darkness. Finchkit stumbled backwards; Lichentuft looked haunted. "Is this a bad time?" Finchkit whispered, transfixed by the messy state of Lichentuft's pelt and the way her eyes couldn't seem to focus. "No," the medicine cat assured the kit, emerging fully from the tunnel and shaking out her fur. "Dreams, is all. Did you want to talk to me about something?" Finchkit sat down. "I had a dream." "Oh?" A sudden spark of interest lighted Lichentuft's green gaze. She sat down beside the kit and stroked her back with her tail. "Tell me about it." Finchkit told Lichentuft everything she could remember. By the time she finished and looked back up at the medicine cat, Lichentuft's eyes were closed and she was shaking her head. "Did I do something wrong?" the kit squeaked. "Nothing like that," Lichentuft assured her. "It's just that..." She paused, and lowered her voice. "I had the exact same dream." "Really?" Finchkit exclaimed, her eyes wide. Lichentuft nodded, closing her own eyes. "Finchkit," she said quietly. "Are you interested in being a medicine cat?" "You mean I could?" Finchkit squealed. "I could work with you and help heal the Clan?" "Yes, little kit. With such dreams, surely this is what you were meant for." Finchkit bounced to her paws. "I'm going to go tell Snowrift and Flightkit," she said. "They'll be so happy!" She bounded out of the den. Lichentuft watched her go. ''Be safe, little kit. ''